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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26828494">Outside</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceAndFloral/pseuds/OnceAndFloral'>OnceAndFloral</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Bifrost Incident - The Mechanisms (Album), The Mechanisms (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drabble, For Chapter 2:, Implied Memory Manipulation, Lyfrassir Doesn't Escape Yggdrasil AU, Memory Manipulation is no longer implied, my attempt at, subtle horror, yea i'm doing one of THOSE</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:14:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,023</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26828494</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceAndFloral/pseuds/OnceAndFloral</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In the no longer empty space of Yggdrasil, a single charter ship is cradled in the arms of the Bifrost. An attempt an mercy, some would call it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>71</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s really not that bad, once you get used to it.</p><p>They stay huddled up against one of the cold walls. Really, the whole room is cold, but it feels nice to have the support. Time is a thick soup, one that they haven’t bothered to try slogging through anymore. They used to need to eat, they think. It’s hard to tell. </p><p>It’s safe, though. They remember a time where they were so, so scared. Then something held them, whispered <i> “thank you, you did so well,”</i> and then they weren’t afraid anymore. It felt good, to be thanked. To be reassured. To know they didn’t mess up.</p><p>They gently knock their head against the wall a few times. They’ve been numb a lot recently. Just floating in a cold void, with only one wall to keep them grounded. It’s okay, usually, but sometimes they need to tap something to make sure they can still do it. It’s lost in the fog now, but they vaguely remember doing something more… drastic. Prying at a bolted panel. They don’t recall exactly <i>why</i> they did that, so they assume it was to stave off the numbness before they were used to it.</p><p>Wherever they are, it’s smooth and shiny, like the inside of a shell. Oh, that’s a nice thought. It makes them think about when they went to the beach with their mothers. They smile. That’s one of the few memories that isn’t hard to call upon. There are so many hazy spots and holes, so they assume they just forgot. They would have remembered if it was important.</p><p>They hum the tune that one of their mothers taught them that day. The wall hums back. It likes it when they sing, they’ve discovered, but it doesn’t pressure them to do so. Just something they can both enjoy when they’re in the mood. </p><p>It cares about them. If it didn’t, who else would?</p><p>Their eyelids are heavy. The gentle movement all around them is slowly but surely rocking them to sleep. It won’t be long until they give into it, even if they wanted to fight it off. There’s nothing to fear from sleep. It’s nice just to be</p><p>inside.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Inside</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Bifrost was not used to caring for something. There was a vast, ceaseless hunger at its core. A desire for chaos, sanity and blood. So trying to preserve something was… New.</p><p>The Little One had almost slipped through its grasp. It had just managed to grab their ship at the very edge, but thankfully that was the end of that. The Bifrost pulled it in deeper, cradling it very carefully. It whispered soothing words, letting them know how much they'd done for it.</p><p>There were many details it had to overcome. It remembered right at the beginning that mortal creatures didn't subsist off of the same things, so it took the initiative to remove their need for food. A trivial act, at best. It figured the Little One would appreciate it.</p><p>It never discovered the answer. The Little One quickly became agitated, pacing the inside of their ship and kicking at things sometimes, like the Bifrost had seen children do when it was still observing. It tried to let them run themself out, but they quickly had to intervene. The Little One broke down, tearing at the walls as if to escape. It quickly had to put a stop to that. They would become upset if they saw what had happened! As well as what gazing upon the unrestricted, infernal form of the Bifrost would do to their mind.</p><p>So the Bifrost took out that anger. All anger, while it was at it. It didn't want the Little One doing anything that could hurt themself. </p><p>Removing it seemed to break them, though. It took almost no time at all for the Little One to collapse, sobbing on the floor. It didn't get it. It was going through so much just to try and help it, what was there to be upset about?</p><p>The Bifrost tried to give it time. Let them acclimate. But no. They didn't improve. If anything it might have worsened. It didn't exactly have a fine point on the tells of different emotions. Normally it just needed to know the difference between “stable” and “broken”. It didn't want to go removing things haphazardly either. It was trying to take <i>care</i> of them, and the last mortal it had performed something similar on… Well, it got the job done.</p><p>Memories, though… Memories were a bit more vague. Easier to fiddle with without crashing the entire system. They wouldn't be upset if they didn't <i>know</i> there was anything to be upset about. Really, a brilliant idea on the Bifrost’s part.</p><p>So everything was sanded down. Rough edges were removed, lines blurred, glass fogged. The Little One shut down, a soft smile on their face as they leaned against the wall of the ship. Just like that, everything had settled down and the Bifrost could turn its full attention to the glorious carnage outside.</p><p>The Bifrost could take satisfaction in a job well done. Putting all the pieces in the right places had led to this. That was all it had ever really been. Hunger for the next sacrifice. The Little One had been a welcome change to that (somewhat unorthodox) routine. </p><p>Though it would no longer be making any exceptions like that one. </p><p>A period of time passed over since it fixed The Little One. The Bifrost didn’t keep track of silly mortal concepts such as those. It had been taking great delight in the constant carnival of carnage and madness the Yggdrasil system turned into, when it realized something was singing along with it. It was… strange. Nothing had sung in duet with it since Odin.</p><p>It didn’t take long to find the source. Nothing was unfindable in its domain. It was almost a bit of surprise, however, when they realized it was The Little One, sitting in their ship and humming along with the vibration of the very air around them. If The Bifrost could smile it would. They’d come home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>woooo I'm back on my bullshit! I <i>kind</i> of have thoughts on this to maybe continue it but idk it's also at a pretty dead end. If you guys want to see anything else from it, leave comments and requests.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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